about

joseph lauricella

Author, Somatic Integration Therapist

Joseph works with medical and healthcare professionals to inspire and educate them on the importance of self-care. He is the author of four books. His most recent title is Miracle of Body Wisdom, How to break through anxiety and reclaim your mind, body and heart. Joseph has been deeply immersed in the healing arts and transformation for over 25 years. He is a Somatic Integration Therapist, licensed massage/neuromuscular therapist and Yoga educator. He specializes in helping clients, management teams and those who care for others with anxiety, stress and trauma. In addition, he offers Yoga teacher trainings, retreats and workshops internationally. Joseph’s mission is to guide people into the wisdom and safety of their own body through the cultivation of their own daily Yoga practice.

Thank you for being here.

I grew up in central NY in a large, hardworking Italian family. At a young age, I learned the power of breath, movement, touch, meditation, and healing.

I consider myself an artist. I trained as a massage therapist and body worker nearly 30 years ago at the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts in Santa Fe, NM. It was there that bodywork, Yoga, and Meditation became ingrained into my daily life. When these practices are integrated into ones life over time, healing occurs. I’ve had the privilege to work with and witness the power of these practices with thousands of people over the years.

As a Somatic Integration Therapist, I have come to understand that we are often shaped by trauma and defense mechanisms. These wounds can often cause us to feel separate from who we really are. Yoga (not any yoga) is the appropriate response to life, because the practice of breathing in direct coordination with moving brings us back into a balanced state where we can truly rest (meditation). This is when the mind aligns and harmonizes with the heart. When you practice this in a healing environment, something powerful and wonderful happens, transformation.

Massage therapy sessions eventually expanded in combination with Yoga Therapy. Over time these private sessions became a mix of bodywork, breath-work, nutrition counseling, strength training, Yoga, meditation and intuitively became much more expansive. I put together training and wellness programs for people. Somatic Therapy was a natural progression and I’ve been doing it ever since.

I relocated to Chicago in 2016 and began teaching Yoga at Midtown Athletic Club. I wrote and published two books: a children’s book titled: Codi and the Maple Tree and a Yoga poetry book titled: Postures, Prayers, and Poems.

My work as a teacher and mentor continues. Here are some lessons that I have learned along the way. Trust is the most important container. The body tells the story of our lives. The body never lies. The breath is the gateway to the body mind. The mind and spine function as one. The mind is a function of the heart.

I believe there’s a vast intelligence within us. An ancient wisdom that courses through our body and mind every day that we’re alive no matter what we think about our body or how we judge ourself.

My work is to help people remove everything that stands in the way of feeling and experiencing this wisdom.